JHAPA, SEPTEMBER 26
A herd of elephants have damaged paddy crops in Ward 1 of Mechinagar Municipality, Jhapa.
Breaching the electric fence on the Mechi River, wild tuskers from India entered the human settlement and rampaged paddy crops and human shelters.
Wild tuskers have eaten, and damaged paddy in two bigha of the field owned by Lal Bahadur Moktan, Ramesh Bhujel, Nand Adhikari and Kailash Bhandari.
National Nature Preservation Fund had installed electric fence on the banks of the Mechi River to stop the influx of wild tuskers from India six years ago.
"The entry of wild elephants from India has given locals sleepless night," said local Shankar Luitel adding, "It is very hard to save lives, let alone save the crops."
Wild tuskers have hit the people of wards 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Mechinagar.
Elephants are also causing trouble in Buddha Shanti Rural Municipality, Bhadrapur, Kankai, and Damak Municipality.
In case food crops is eaten or damaged or a house is destroyed, Division Forest Office provides Rs 10,000. Due to lengthy procedures for receiving the money, tusker victims have stopped submitting applications.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 27 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
